LZK has been identified as a novel therapeutic target in head and neck cancer. This project aims to synthesize small molecule inhibitors of this kinase that are non-brain permeant to enable proof-of-concept animal studies. During this period, the NCGC synthesized an LZK inhibitor that can be used for in vitro cell based studies and evaluated its pharmacological properties. This inhibitor has advanced into in vivo PK studies, and further work is ongoing to expand the panel of validated non-brain permeant LZK inhibitors available to the broader research community.